Buying From an International Pharmacy
Online Pharmacy Seals Decoded: NABP, LegitScript, and CIPA
A badge in a website footer is easy to copy. Each of these programs has a way to check whether it's real, and each one means something different.
Key takeaways
- NABP runs U.S. pharmacy accreditation programs and the .pharmacy domain. Its safe.pharmacy search shows whether a site is accredited or on its Not Recommended list.
- NABP says a .pharmacy domain, unlike a logo, can't be faked or forged.
- LegitScript certification is used by major ad platforms; a real seal links to a verification page on LegitScript's own site.
- CIPA certifies member pharmacies against its own standards; clicking a genuine CIPA seal should produce a confirmation from CIPA's website.
- A seal checks the business, not the product or whether ordering is legal for you. FDA's first step is still the state board of pharmacy license lookup.
Our pharmacy evaluation checklist covers general trust signals, from a real address to clear policies. It doesn't explain the accreditation seals that many pharmacy sites display, and those seals are where a lot of confusion lives. Here's what each major one is, what it checks, and how to tell a real seal from a pasted image.
Why Seals Exist, and Why They're Copied
Online pharmacies need to prove legitimacy to three audiences: patients, advertising platforms and payment processors. Accreditation programs fill that gap by reviewing a pharmacy and then letting it display a seal. The problem is obvious: a seal is an image, and images can be copied. Every program below has a verification step for that reason. The seal tells you what to check. The check tells you whether it's true.
NABP: Accreditation, .pharmacy and safe.pharmacy
The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) is the association of state pharmacy boards. It runs several programs relevant to online pharmacies:
- Digital Pharmacy Accreditation. NABP renamed its long-running Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites program, known as VIPPS, to Digital Pharmacy Accreditation in 2020.
- Healthcare Merchant Accreditation. NABP's safe.pharmacy site says only pharmacies with this accreditation are included on its list, and NABP's .pharmacy page says it's currently the credential that qualifies a business for a .pharmacy domain.
- The .pharmacy domain. A site ending in .pharmacy has been approved by NABP. In NABP's words, "Unlike logos, the .pharmacy domain cannot be faked or forged."
- The Not Recommended list. NABP lists sites that, on review, appear out of compliance with its standards or applicable law.
Go to safe.pharmacy and use NABP's Safe Site Search with the exact web address. The result shows whether the site is accredited or Not Recommended. Type the address yourself rather than clicking a link on the pharmacy's site.
LegitScript Certification
LegitScript is a private company that certifies healthcare merchants, including pharmacies and telehealth services. Its certification page lists Google, Meta, Microsoft Bing, LinkedIn, TikTok and Netflix as platforms that recognize the certification for advertising, and says payment processors may require it for certain pharmacy-related merchant categories. Certified businesses are subject to ongoing monitoring and must report changes to their services, ownership or websites.
LegitScript says a properly implemented seal links directly to the business's verification page on LegitScript's own site, at an address in the form legitscript.com/websites/ followed by the domain. You can also look up a domain on LegitScript's certification status page. If the seal doesn't click through to legitscript.com, or the verification page names a different website, don't trust it.
Because LegitScript is tied to advertising, you'll often see it on telehealth services. A certified service has been reviewed as a business; that doesn't mean every product it sells suits you.
CIPA: Canadian International Pharmacy Association
CIPA is an association of Canadian pharmacies that sell internationally. Its certification page says member pharmacies meet its standards, including requiring a valid prescription, keeping a patient health profile to help prevent harmful interactions, having a licensed pharmacist supervise dispensing and be available for consultation, and protecting patient privacy.
- Look for CIPA's exact red oval seal. CIPA says to look for the mark itself, "not just text language about CIPA membership."
- Click the seal. A genuine member's seal should produce a confirmation message generated by CIPA's website (your browser may need to allow pop-ups).
- Or enter the website address in CIPA's member verification tool, or check CIPA's list of member pharmacies.
One distinction matters for U.S. buyers: CIPA certification is a Canadian association's standard, not a U.S. state license. FDA's BeSafeRx guidance tells U.S. consumers to use pharmacies licensed by their state board and to look for a U.S. address and phone number, and FDA's personal importation page says importing drugs for personal use is illegal in most circumstances. A CIPA seal answers "is this a real CIPA member?" It doesn't answer the U.S. regulatory question.
Side by Side
| Seal / signal | Run by | What it indicates | How to verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Pharmacy / Healthcare Merchant accreditation | NABP | Reviewed against NABP standards | safe.pharmacy Safe Site Search |
| .pharmacy domain | NABP | Approved by NABP; can't be faked like a logo | Domain ends in .pharmacy; confirm on safe.pharmacy |
| LegitScript Certified | LegitScript | Certified healthcare merchant with ongoing monitoring | Seal links to legitscript.com/websites/[domain] |
| CIPA seal | Canadian International Pharmacy Association | Member meets CIPA standards | Click-through confirmation or CIPA verification tool |
| State license | Your state board of pharmacy | Licensed to dispense in that state | State board lookup via FDA BeSafeRx |
What No Seal Tells You
- Whether a medicine is right for you. That's a clinical question. See our who-should-skip-to-a-prescriber guide.
- Whether a product is FDA-approved. Check the product itself. Our regulatory status note is explicit that products referenced through HealthyRXs are not FDA-approved.
- Whether a specific package is genuine. Our counterfeit guide covers inspection on arrival.
- Whether importing is lawful for you. That's a legal question we can't answer.
Red flags that override any badge: NABP lists sites with no state board license, no licensed pharmacist, "bonus pills," or crypto-only or peer-to-peer-only payment as warning signs. A seal on a site showing these signs is more likely copied than earned.
A 60-Second Routine
- Search the exact domain on safe.pharmacy.
- Click any LegitScript or CIPA seal and confirm it lands on the program's own site, naming this domain.
- For a U.S. pharmacy, look it up with your state board through FDA's BeSafeRx page.
- Run the rest of our pre-order checklist.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the NABP seal on a pharmacy website?
It indicates NABP accreditation, such as Digital Pharmacy Accreditation (formerly VIPPS) or Healthcare Merchant Accreditation. Confirm it by searching the site's address on NABP's safe.pharmacy Safe Site Search.
Can a .pharmacy website be fake?
NABP says the .pharmacy domain, unlike a logo, cannot be faked or forged, because only approved businesses can register one. Look-alike domains that don't actually end in .pharmacy are a different matter, so read the address carefully.
How do I verify a LegitScript seal?
Click it. A real seal links to a verification page on legitscript.com for that specific domain. You can also look up the domain on LegitScript's certification status page.
Does a CIPA seal mean a pharmacy is legal for U.S. buyers?
No. CIPA certification means the pharmacy meets CIPA's standards as a Canadian association member. FDA advises U.S. consumers to use state-licensed pharmacies, and says personal importation of drugs is illegal in most circumstances.
Does a pharmacy seal mean the medication is FDA-approved?
No. Seals review the business. Whether a product is FDA-approved depends on the product itself, and international catalog products generally are not.
Sources
- National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Buy Safely (safe.pharmacy). safe.pharmacy
- National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. .Pharmacy Registry. nabp.pharmacy
- National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Rebranding Continues With New Names, Logos for Accreditation Programs. nabp.pharmacy
- LegitScript. Welcome to LegitScript Certification. www.legitscript.com
- Canadian International Pharmacy Association. CIPA Certification. cipa.com
Business checks beyond seals, before your first order